Substitute silver dollar



C. BERGMANN SUBSTITUTE SILVER DOLLAR Filed Aug. 6, 1964 Oct. 25, 1966INVENTOR. 6'0 E ym a0/ #//5 Afro/Neff MBY il United States Patent O3,280,489 SUBSTITUTE SILVER DOLLAR Conrad Bergmann, 1365 Lincoln Ave.,San Jose, Calif. Filed Aug. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 387,877 3 Claims. (Cl.t0-27.5)

This invention relates to a substitute for silver dollar and moreparticularly to a disc for holding and visibly displaying a dollar billfolded such as to expose all four corners thereof.

The present invention was conceived with a view of alleviating theproblem caused by the national coin shortage now `being experienced.Recent reports indicate that the Treasury Department plans to ease thisshortage by raising coin production. However, the present plan onlyextends to denominations up to half dollars, there being no plan to mintsilver dollars.

The shortage of silver dollars or cartwheels as they are often referredt-o, is being felt most in States such as Nevada where gambling islegal. It is also being felt in connection with coin controlledapparatus operable by coin of a dollar value. Thousands of slot machinesand other coin -controlled apparatus are standing idle for want ofsilver dollars to operate them. The need for a substitute coin istherefore apparent.

The present invention contemplates `the provision of a manufacturedmetal disc of the diameter and thickness of -a silver dollar having acertificate or note of paper currency embedded therein in such manner asto assure the holder thereof of its full face value.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substitute for asilver dollar in the form of a disc housing an actual silver certificateand for displaying the denominational figures at all four corners ofsuch certificates.

It is another object of this invention to provide a rim of the diameterand thickness of `the rim of a silver dollar with a central zone oflesser thickness to provide side recesses into which transparent discsare secured over a piece of paper currency folded into a flat pack suchas to expose all four corners of the latter, the fiat pack bein-g housedwithin a central opening formed in the central zone of the disc so thatboth sides of the folded fiat pack will be visible through thetransparent discs.

These and other vobjects and advantages of the present invention willbecome -apparent from a reading of the following description and claimsin the light of the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the elements embodied in thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a graphic diagram of a piece of paper currency marked out withcrease lines for purposes of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan View of the elements of FIG. 1 assembled and as seenfrom the reverse side of that illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a section diametrically through FIG. 3 and taken along line 44 thereof.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section of a portion of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating one manner of folding the bill of FIG.3.

In the drawing a finished substitute for a silver dollar designated 10is shown in FIG. 3. In general it comprises a disc 11 of metal having anannular rim 12 of a thickness comparable to that of a silver dollar andproperly serrated. Within the rim 12 the disc 11 has a zone 13 ofreduced thickness of approximately one half (1/2) that of the thicknessof the rim 12. The zone 13 is centered relative to the plane of the disc11 to provide a recess on each side of the central zone 13 for thereception of a pair of transparent discs 14 and 15. These discs 14 and15 are preferably non breakable plastic material of 3,289,489 PatentedOct. 2.5, 1966 suitable strength and thickness to withstand breakage andremoval and yet transparent to fully display the material beneath it.

The central zone 13 -of the disc 11 is open to provide a space 16 forthe reception of a piece of paper currency 17. In the present disclosurethe space 16I is shown as a square opening with its four sides 18, 19,20` and 21 forming chords of the circular central zone 13 having theirmeeting corners touching the inner periphery P of the rim 12. However,the shape of the space 16 may be varied dependent upon the .manner offolding the piece of pape-r currency 17 to be housed therein.

One manner of folding the piece of paper currency is shown in FIGS. 2and 6 whereby all four corners of such currency will Ibe visiblydisplayed. In the illustration three crease lines longitudinally of thepiece 17 are designated 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The dista-nce betwee-ncrease lines 2 and 3 is equal to the distance between one pair ofopposite sides 18 and 20 of the open space 16 in the disc 11. The firstfold is made along crease line 1 by folding the bottom edge 22 of thepiece 17 back under. The second fold along line 2 is in the samedirection leaving the numeral 1 at both ends of the piece 17 exposed.The fold along crease line 3 is also backward from the front face of thepaper currency so that the upper strip 4 (FIG. 6) lies against the ba-ckof the piece 17 and the shorter strip 5 along the bottom edge overlies aportion of the strip 4 on the back face of the piece 17. When the piece17 thus folded lengthwise is turned around it appears somewhat as seenin FIG. 1 with the numerals at all four corners fully exposed.

The piece of currency 17 also has crease lines transversely of itslength. These are designated (E for centerline OL and OR for outwardbends or folds and IL and IR for inward bends or folds as seen inFIG. 1. A zigzag line Z in FIG. 1 illustrates the folds along thetransverse crease lines whereby when all panels lie fiat as seen inFIGS. 4 and 5 there are six such panels with three layers of paperwithin each panel. The folded currency 17 thus provides a square pack 23adapted to fit within the space 16 and a thickness such as to fitwithi-n the thickness of the central Zone 13 of the disc 11. It shouldhere be noted that both end panels 24 and 25 at the left and right endsL and R, respectively of the piece 17 have the numeral hearing cornersof the currency exposed. The arrangement is such that the panel 24 atthe left end of the piece 17 will be viewed through one of thetransparent discs 14 as seen in FIG. 1 and the other panel 25 at theleft end of piece 17 will be viewed through the other transparent disc15 as seen in FIG. 3.

With the paper currency thus folded into a pack 23 and lodged in thespace 16 in the central zone 13 of the disc 11 both transparent discs 14and 1S are pressed into `their respective recesses on the respectivesides of the central zone 13.

On each side of the central zone 13 the remaining segments 28, 29, 30and 31 beyond the chordal sides 18, 19, 20 and 21 respectively of theopen center provide mounting faces for the transparent discs 14 and 15.These discs may be cemented to the outer faces of the segments 28, 29,30 and 31 or the inner periphery P -of the rim 12 can -be peaned overthe outer periphery of the discs 14 and 15 to secure them in placewithin the thickness of the rim 12.

As delineated in FIG. 3 the segments 28, 29, 30 and 31 are suitable forreceiving printed matter 35 such as the name and address `of anadvertiser. Such printed matter may be embossed on the surfaces of thesegments 28, 29, 30 and 31 or the inner periphery P of the rim 12 can be14 and 15 in the zone of such segment.

The present invention thus formed provides a substitute for a silverdollar embodying a silver certificate,

Federal Reserve Note or the like of that value and fully displaying allfour corners af such paper currency to verify the presence of the valuecontained. Such substitute dollar being the size, dimension and weightof a valid coin, it will fit the coin slot of coin controlled apparatusdesigned for the reception of a silver dollar and thereby render theapparatus operable.

While I 4have illustrated and described a preferred ernbodiment of thepresent invention, it will be understood, however, that various changesand modifications may be made in the details thereof without departingfrom the scope 7of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desired toprotect by Letters Patent is defined in the following7 claims:

1. A substitute for a silver dollar consisting of a housing for a noteor certificate of comparable value comprising a metal rim having theythickness and diameter of a valid silver dollar, said housing being oflesser thickness than the rim within the latter to provide a recess oneach side thereof, a -note or certificate arranged in said housing forvisibly displaying at least the denominational numerals at all fourcorners of such silver certificate, and a transparent disc secured ineach of the recesses on either side of said disc for conning the silvercerticate thus displayed.

l2. A substitute for a silver dollar comprising a housing having a metalrim comparable in thickness and diameter to that of a valid silverdollar, a centrally located disc within said rim of lesser thicknessthan the latter to provide a recess on each side of said disc, a centralopening formed in said disc, a v-alid certificate or note folded into aflat pack of equal thickness to said disc and having the denominationalnumerals at all four corners of such certificate or note facingoutwardly, and a transparent disc in each recess on either side of saiddisc and each secured Within said metal rim 5 for confining anddisplaying said hat pack.

3. A substitute for a. silver dollar consisting of a housing for papermoney such as a silver certificate Federal Reserve Note or the likecomprising a disc, a met-al rim on said disc having the thickness andinner and outer diameters of the rim of a valid silver dollar coin, arectangular open center formed in said disc leaving segmental zonesWithin said rim, said disc having a thickness of approximately one halfthat of said rim, a single sheet of paper money folded to provide a flatpack substantially the ythickness of said disc and to fit within theopen center of the latter for displaying the denominational numbers 'atall four corners of such paper money on each side of said flat pack, atransparent disc on each side of said disc Within the rim thereof, andmeans for securing said transparent discs Within said rim and againstthe segmental zones of said disc for visually displaying printed matterbeneath said transparent discs.

References Cited by the Examiner 25 UNITED STATES PATENTS 31,871 4/1861Copley 40-27.5 X 560,900 5/ 1896 Fredricks 24-27 .5 2,196,850 4/1940Bostian l0-27.5 2,256,399 9/ 1941 MacHarg 40--152 2,506,509 5/ 1950Kratkowski 40-152 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. I. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SUBSTITUTE FOR A SILVER DOLLAR CONSISTING OF A HOUSING FOR A NOTE OR CERTIFICATE OF COMPARABLE VALUE COMPRISING A METAL RIM HAVING THE THICKNESS AND DIAMETER OF A VALID SILVER DOLLAR, SAID HOUSING BEING OF LESSER THICKNESS THAN THE RIM WITHIN THE LATTER TO PROVIDE A RECESS ON EACH SIDE THEREOF, A NOTE OR CERTIFICATE ARRANGED IN SAID HOUSING FOR VISIBLY DISPLAYING AT LEAST THE DENOMINATIONAL NUMERALS AT ALL FOUR CORNERS OF SUCH SILVER CERTIFICATE, AND A TRANSPARENT DISC SECURED IN EACH OF THE RECESSES ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID DISC FOR CONFINING THE SILVER CERTIFICATE THUS DISPLAYED. 